Alexandria Goddard, the blogger who brought the Steubenville rape case to light by refusing to let the issue go on Prinnified.com, isn't very popular in the small football-obsessed town — one high school football player, Cody Saltsman, actually tried to sue her and some commenters on her website for defamation.

The New York Times has a lengthy piece today on a rape case in Steubenville, Ohio, which the paper…
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Goddard wrote on her blog yesterday that the case has been dismissed with prejudice, which means the case can never be refiled again.

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"As part of the settlement we did not pay any money; we did not agree to retract any statements, nor did we agree to stop covering the case or discussing it," she explains.

Saltsman asked to write a statement apologizing for spreading the photos of the girl who was kidnapped and raped (and also clarifying that he wasn't there):

"I deeply regret my actions on the night of August 11, 2012. While I wasn't at the home where the alleged assault took place, there is no doubt that I was wrong to post that picture from an earlier party and tweet those awful comments. Not a moment goes by that I don't wish I would have never posted that picture or tweeted those comments. I want to sincerely apologize to the victim and her family for these actions. I also want to acknowledge the work of several bloggers, especially Ms. Goddard at Prinniefied.com, in their efforts to make sure the full truth about that terrible night eventually comes out. At no time did my family mean to stop anyone from expressing themselves online – we only wanted to correct what we believed were misstatements that appeared on Ms. Goddard's blog. I am glad that we have resolved our differences with Ms. Goddard and that she and her contributors can continue their work.

"By proposing to drop the lawsuit and make the statement below, Cody Saltsman has shown that perhaps he can – and we certainly hope he does – grow into a responsible, caring, and empathetic adult," Goddard writes. "His hometown certainly could use more empathetic and compassionate individuals who are willing to stand up and do the right thing."